A father with a lengthy rap sheet and history of drug abuse has been busted for allegedly killing his 16-year-old son with a power tool in what Florida police have called an “inexplicable” incident.
Stephen Thomas Rodda, 37, was taken into custody Monday after allegedly killing his teenage son, Stephen Lee Rodda, inside a mobile home in Lake Wales, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a news conference.
The teen — who had hopes of one day becoming an electrician — was living with his grandfather, 67-year-old Thomas Rodda, to help him around the house while his grandmother was in rehab.
The grandfather returned to his home Monday morning to find his son, Stephen, outside of his home, where he allegedly told him, “I wouldn’t go in there if I was you. I killed someone. You may need to call the police.”
The grandfather told investigators it was not uncommon for the suspect, who has used methamphetamine since high school, to have psychotic episodes and make “bizarre” comments.
When Thomas Rodda entered the home, he found his grandson dead in the dining room area, Judd said.
Judd said a preliminary investigator revealed the suspect used a “heavy-duty saw” known as an angle grinder to kill his son.
“It breaks our heart. There aren’t adequate words to explain how horrific this event is,” Judd said Monday.
“To have this worthless individual murder his son is inexplicable,” he added.
The father was quickly caught by police fleeing the scene on Highway 60. He was taken into custody.
The suspect has an extensive criminal history, including an outstanding warrant in South Carolina, Judd said.
“This guy has been nothing but a problem to society for a very long time,” Judd said. “And now, he’s turned a problemed person into an evil person when he murdered his son and created a horrible set of circumstances for a loving family.”
The younger Stephen Rodda was a junior at Frostproof High School, where he was taking classes to be an electrician.
He was also due to start working at Burger King next week in the hopes of saving enough money to buy a car, his family told police.
“He was just a stand-up, stellar young man,” Judd said. “Our prayers are with the family, and I want you to know that the world lost a great young man today.”
The motive for the murder is still under investigation, the sheriff said.